Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!swrinde!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!viusys!uxui!unislc!bryce!netw23!val From: val@netw23.uucp (Oberon Kenobi) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.misc Subject: Letter to Commodore Message-ID: <177458@netw23.uucp> Date: 8 Jun 91 13:57:44 GMT Organization: Weber State University, CS DEPT. Lines: 110 I sent the following letter to Commodore (by U.S. mail) in February. Commodore hasn't replied yet, but I thought that this letter would be of general interest to the network community: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Commodore Business Machines Research and Development 1200 Wilson Drive West Chester, PA 19380 Dear Commodore, I've been a Commodore Amiga (1000) owner since late 1985. I now have another Amiga 1000, and will soon purchase another one. I like the look-and-feel of AmigaDOS V2.0 (or whatever the Amiga's operating system is called). Unfortunately, it won't run on the Amiga 1000's because it requires 512K of Kickstart. Couldn't you make it so that V2.0 will run on the Amiga 1000 by loading it into some RAM location? The current Amigas are wonderful, but there is insufficient incentive for me to upgrade. I await the forthcomming Amigas with 68040s, and faster 32-bit custom chips. Thanks for multitasking. It is the best feature of the Amiga, and I can't live without it. There are also features that I hope to see in future versions of AmigaDOS: - Resource tracking: When tasks terminate, they should return all system resources back to the operating system even under abnormal termination (i.e.: task deletion). This most definately includes memory. - Memory protection: One of the (occasional) problems with programs on the Amiga is that if they are not perfectly behaved, they crash the system. This isn't too bad most of the time, but it happens EVERY time I try to demonstrate it to someone who owns another computer system. - Virtual memory: It would be nice, on Amigas with MMUs, to have virtual memory possible. Special consideration must be made for memory that was allocated with the MEMF_PUBLIC bit. There should also be a way to allocate non-paged/swapped (but not necessarily public) memory. - Networking: Standard networking layers should be distributed with the operating system. The network should be accessed either as a library or a "device". This networking "device" should be independant of the phyical medium (i.e.: serial port, parallel port, ethernet, token ring, etc.) that is used. And multiple protocols (i.e.: TCP/IP, DECnet, AMIGAnet (?)) should be able to share the same physical device. (A cheap ethernet interface would be nice.) Apple supplies networking with their Macintosh and even includes the physical port with which to do it. Networking support should be built into the file system (as DECnet on VMS is), and the programs should not have to worry about routing. The ability to cluster and/or remote mount file systems should be included (i.e.: VAXcluster, NFS, RFS) with the networking software. - Graphics: Support for varying sizes of graphics screens, aspect ratios, and color depth should be included. Different, and multiple simultaneous, display devices should be supported. (The NeXT and Macintosh do this.) This should include expanding the address space of the custom chips to 8-megabytes. (As well as faster custom chips.) Overall, however, I am pleased with the Amiga line of computers and still recommend them to all my friends. Unfortunately, many of them want to buy NeXT computers (when they can afford them). Eagerly awaiting your reply, Val Kartchner -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I will comment on some areas of the above letter before I hear about it from the NET. I have an Amiga 1000. I am happy with my Amiga 1000. I was going to get a third one (as stated above), but that deal fell through. The other Amigas, including the Amiga 3000, aren't that much of an improvement to cause me to want to upgrade. I want a 68040 AND 32-bit custom chips. Networking is a biggie. I've heard, in one of the Amiga magazies, that Commodore is developing the Standard Amiga Networking Architecture (SANA). I think that they should, instead, call it Standard Amiga Networking Environment (SANE). It can be marketed as "The computer for the SANE mind." Speaking of networking, would any hardware types out there be willing to create a network adaptor for which a SANE driver could be written. It should be a bus type network. To make it work with all Amigas and get a reasonably fast throughput, the adaptor could be made to fit on the back of the floppy drive chain. Any takers? Also, considering the price of SCO Xenix comared with the price of the Amiga with System V release 4 (a "standard" Unix), Commodore could market it as "Buy our SVR4 Unix, and we'll throw in the machine for free." This could sell some more systems. (NeXT could make this same claim, but the Amiga has color.) Most of the rest of the letter is self-explainatory. Some of the rest has been done, but I want a Commodore standard that comes with the machine. -- ____ ____ ____ |=============================================================| \ \/ \/ / | "vi? Because I don't have a real editor." -- U*x user | \Weber State/ |=============================================================| \University/ |Oberon| Internet: val@csulx.weber.edu, val@net23.weber.edu | \___/\___/ |Kenobi| Usenet: uunet!viusys!uxui!unislc!bryce!netw23!val | Computer Science |=============================================================|